Wire straightener



' Jan. 5, 1943. C, lD; joHNs-QN 2,307,133

WIRE STRAIGHTENER Filed Feb. 20, 1942 2 t l2 Ffgl.

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Q E 2 34 '25' 35 26 7 2 Inven'fo.l 6 5% Charles [ldohnson 34 25 Patented Jan.' 5, 1943 wrm-z STRAIGHTENER.-

Charles D. Johnson, Worcester, Mass., assignor to Y' Johnson Steel & Wire Company, Inc., Worcester, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application February 20, 1942, Serial No. 431,673

l 2 Claims.

This invention relates to wire straighteners of that type'which comprises two rows of rolls between which the wire to be straightened passes, the rolls of one row being staggered with respect to the rolls of the other row and the two rows of rolls having a slightly overlapping relation so that as the wire is drawn between them, itis subjected to a multi-ilexing operation by being bent first in one direction and then in the other as it contacts with the successive rolls.

In wire straighteners of this type, it is irnportant that the rolls should always be capable of turning freely, for if anyroll sticks and does not have a free turning movement the wire will have a sliding instead of a rolling contact therewith.

a condition which produces a diierent straightening effect than if the roll was freely rotatable and thus had a rolling contact only with the wire.

block is adjusted on the bed by means of ad-` justing screws Il which are screw threaded through arms l2 rising from the bed and which engage the rear face of the block 3. The clamping bolts 9 and their clamping nuts i3 provide for clamping the block 3 in any adjusted posi- Thefree rotation of the rolls can be secured` by mounting 'them in ball bearings, and one of the objects of the present invention is to provide a wire straightener having -relatively small rollsy and in which the rolls are mounted in ball bearings in a novel way. In order to give an understanding of. the invention, I have'illustrated in the drawing a selected embodiment thereof which will now be described after which the novel features will be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a wire straightener embodying my invention withI parts broken out to better show the construction.

f Fig. 2 is an end view of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section on the vline 3-3, Fig. 1. f

Fig. 4 shows a roll such as is used in one of the rows of rolls.

Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the roll which is used in the other row of rolls.

The wire straightener herein shown comprises two roll-carrying blocks 3 and 4,'each of which carries a row of straightening rolls, the rolls mounted in the block 3 being indicated at 5 and f those mounted in the block 4 being indicated at '3. As the wire 8 to be straightened is drawn between the two rows of rolls it is subjected to a flexing action thereby, as is usual in wire straighteners of this type. The roll-carrying blocks 3 and 4 are adjustably mounted on a bed 'l so that said blocks may be adjusted toward and from each other to vary the degree of flexing which the wire receives when it passes between the two rows of rolls. A Y

As herein shown, the block 3 is retained 'in position on the base 'l by means of clamping bolts 9 that pass through slots.- I0 in said block and said tion. A similar construction is provided for adjusting the block 4 and for clamping it in an adjusted position. Said block 4 is provided with slots I4 through which extend clamping bolts l5 carrying clamping nuts I6. ing screws which are screw threaded through arms I8 rising from the base l and which engage the back side` of the block 4. The block 3 is shown as having a positioning screw I9 at each end which i is screw-threaded through an extension on the block'and engages the inner face of the block 4. These. screws serve as means to limit the adjustingy movement of the blocks toward each other.

Each positioning screw I9 carries a lock nut 2|l to, assist in retaining itin its adjusted position.

"wlor some purposes, it is desirable to use rela- Y' tively small rolls vin a wire straightener of this type and in order to provide for mounting such small rolls in ball bearing assemblies such as can be purchased on the market, I have adopted the construction which will now be described.

The block 3 is formed with two laterally extending flanges 22 and 23 that are directedvtoward the block 4 and form between them a channel or space 24 in which Athe rolls 5 4are received. Each roll 5 is provided with two spindles 25, one on each side thereof, and these spindles are rota'tively mounted in ball bearing assemblies 26 that are carried in the bearing flanges 22 and 23. Each ball bearing assemblies is of the usual commercial type which comprises an inner ball race 2l in which the spindle 25 of the roll is received, an outer ball race 28 which ts into a circular opening or pocket 29 formed in the bearing flange, and a series of balls 30 between the ball races.

The rolls 6 carried by the block 4 are similarly mounted in bearing flanges 3| and 32 which extend laterally from the inner face of said block 4 and are directed toward the block 3 and which form between them a space 33 in which the row of rolls 6 is received. Each roll 6 is provided with two spindles 34 which are journaled in ball bearing assemblies 26 such as those above described and which are carried in the bearing flanges 3|, 32. The flanges 22 and 23 on the block 3, and also the anges 3l and 32 on the block 4 are wide enough to accommodate the smallest ball bearings assembly 26 which is now available on the market and inasmuch as the rolls 5 and 6 are relatively l'l indicates adjustening rolls 5 and 6 being so placed relative to each other that the wire 8 will b e given the required alternate bends in opposite directions while passing between said rolls, I have employed the construction shown in which the marginal portions of the flanges 22 and 23 on the block 3 have an overlapping relation with respect to the marginal portions of the flanges 3l and 32 on the block 4. This is provided for by spacing the anges 3| and 32 on the block 4 far enough apart to receive between them the flanges 22 and 23 on the block 3 as clearly shown in Figs 2 and 3.

The rolls 6 are therefore made with spindles 34 which are of considerably greater length than the spindles 25 of the rolls 5, said spindles 34 of each roll 6 being long enough so that the ends of the spindles can be journaled in the ball bearings 26 carried by the widely spaced flanges 3| and 32. l

Each of the flanges 2 2 and 23 is made with a scalloped inner face 35 as shown in Fig. 1, the indentations 36 in said face coming opposite the spindles 34 of the rolls B. This construction, together with the overlapping relation of the flanges 22, 23 and 3l, 32 permits the blocks 3 and 4 to of bend to the wire 8, notwithstanding the fact Y that the rolls are relatively smallin size and Cil Vbe adjusted to give the maximum desired amount on each block directed towards the other block 'a plurality of straightening rolls in the channel of each block, each roll having two spindles, one on either side thereof, a pair of ball'bearing assemblies for each roll in which the spindles of the roll are mounted. one ball bearing assembly of each pair being mounted in each flange of the corresponding block, the bearing flanges on one block being spaced apart sufficiently to receive between them the bearing flanges on' the other block and the marginal portions of the flanges on each block having an overlapping relation with respect to the marginal portions of the iianges on the other block, and means to adjust said blocks toward and from each other.

2. A wire straightener comprising two roll-supporting blocks adjustable toward and from each other, each block having two spaced bearing iianges extending from that side thereof which faces the other block, the bearing flanges of each block forming between them a roll-receiving channel, a series of relatively small straightening rolls in each channel, each roll having two spindles, one on each side thereof, a pair of ball bearing assemblies for each roll in which the spindles of the roll are mounted, one ball bearing assembly of each pair being carried by each flange of the corresponding block, each straightening roll being smaller than the ball bearing assembly in which it is mounted and being located entirely within its channel, the bearing flanges on one block being spaced apart suiiiciently to receive between them the bearing flanges on the other block and the marginal portions of the flanges on each block having an overlapping relation with respect to the marginal portions of the flanges on the other block, thereby to permit the two series of relatively small straightening rolls being so placed relative to each other that the wire passing between them will be bent iirst in one direction and then in the other.

CHARLES D. JOHNSON. 

